Nursing Boobs

For those of you who do not want to hear about the human body, this is not the post for you.  However, this is a post I keep trying to find and it is just not there.  What happens to my boobs when I am no longer nursing?  How long will it be before I shrink back to that smaller cup size?  Is it worth buying an $85 dollar bra because it is the only one in my size that is actually comfortable?

Maybe boobs are more of a topic of conversation for me because I not only have to find a bra, but it must work with a prosthesis.  Since I'm not in the target age range for most women with a prosthesis, I really don't like the styles of basic mastectomy bras.  For the same price, I can go to a store like Nordstrom and have them sew in a pocket for any bra. 

When Isaiah began to give up nursing during the day, and only fed about once a day, I noticed my nursing bras did not fit.  I tried to stick it out thinking, I will wait until I REALLY need a new bra.  However, my neck started to hurt, and I had to dress up for a special event, so I gave in.  My loving husband sent me shopping for clothes and I knew I would hate every dress I tried on if I did not have the right sized bra.  We all learned that from shows like What Not To Wear, right?  The lady at Nordstrom gave me about 50 different tee shirt style bras to try on after figuring out my size.  To my surprise I was the same size, just a different shape.  Weird.  I was in bra size denial!  How was it possible? 

I left the store with this bra:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/chantelle-intimates-rive-gauche-3286-full-coverage-underwire-t-shirt-bra/3066738?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=Cappucino&resultback=1094
It comes in two colors and I got it in black.  I freaked out when I looked at the price at the end.  I promised myself I would base my purchase on fit, not price.  Risky, but I needed the right one.  This cost me over $80 when I was done with tax.  I swallowed and looked at what I had left for a dress.  It all worked out, but the problem with loving an $80 bra is that is it hard to consider buying more than one and since one needs at least two, I searched elsewhere hoping to find something similar.  However, I am still thrilled with this bra after 6 months of wearing it and it even still looks new.  No signs of stretch, so maybe it would be worth having a few of these.  Even with such perfection, I opted out of running back to buy another one because I keep expecting to lose my nursing boob size.

So that was six months ago and rotating one fitting bra with two that are way too small (4 babies ago) I started to look at True&Co.  Most of their bras they put in my personal shop after taking the quiz were $68 or less.  Plus, there is a free at home try on option.  I really liked this because I never have 2 hours to try on bras at multiple stores.  I got my first box and almost nothing fit, but one bra.  It was in a color I hated, but I kept it anyway because it was pretty comfortable.  Overall, I still like my Nordstrom Chantelle bra, but this one works well too.  It has not held up looking new for very long.  I got the bra in beige, so that might be part of it.  I am still happy with the purchase and attempted a second round of at home try on bras.  This time I was thrilled because I loved the fit and the bra that worked actually looked cute too.  Plus, it has the option of being worn two different ways.  I will post those links:
Bra 1
https://trueandco.com/bras/triumph/everyday-magic-wire/2363
cost me $46
Bra 2
https://trueandco.com/bras/betsy-johnson/stocking-stripe/2571
cost me $48
Both of these bras cost me way less than two Chantelle bras, but I still feel like the Chantelle bra is my favorite.  I also had to sew my own pockets into the True&Co bras.  However, the quality of these bras are great.  My experience shopping has been very nice.  I sometimes question if I am working with the correct size because I'm still in denial that nothing has changed after a few months of not nursing, but that is just how it is.   I will say everything on this list works really well with a prosthesis.  I looked for full coverage bras that have a built in shape, so it is easy to sew in a pocket.  These all sort of have a similar shape to nursing bras, but are really pretty. 

I hate spending money on things I'm not sure I will be able to wear for long, but the fact is, the right bra size is important.  If things change then great, but if they don't it helps a lot to have the right bra.  I felt bad about my $80 bra purchase, but it has been the greatest so far.  I like my other to bras, and I am still thinking they may not work for long, so I'd rather spend less and still have the right size, then spend much more for 3 of the perfect bra, but that is just me.  I should also say that my True &Co bra 2 might end up as the second perfect bra, but I have only owned it for a few days.  If you have a prosthesis, sew in a pocket because it really changes how the bra fits.  I have gone without one, but there is so much more comfort with the pocket. 

My next challenge will be bathing suits.  I am not really looking forward to this, but who knows...it might work out as well as the bras.  I have realized that being pregnant a lot has made me think about clothing for the short term because my body has constantly been changing. This has made it hard for me to commit to certain things I really like.  It also has made me feel like I'm back in middle school trying to figure out what to do with my ever changing body.  It's more fun this time around because I always have the backup of yoga pants and a tee shirt, using mommy as my excuse.  I also must mention that I recently bought a pair of overalls because they are back in style!  I'm thrilled because overalls have been one of my favorite items of clothing ever.  You may just see a pic of me wearing them soon.  Hope this helps other nursing moms, because this is stuff I really wish someone had told me.